PULSCAR ANALYSIS — P0014 (EXHAUST CAMSHAFT TIMING OVER-ADVANCED) IN NHTSA'S PUBLIC FILES
PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0. Attribution: "PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026."
Published alongside https://www.pulscar.io/blog/p0014-code

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Prepared 26 September 2026. Source data: NHTSA public flat files (complaints received 2015 to 21 September 2026, 780,071 records; manufacturer communications from January 2015; recalls from 2010) and documents downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov.

1. Complaints naming P0014 (153)
   Every complaint whose narrative contains the string "P0014" (this also catches the six-character form P001400). 153 complaints. Keyword flags (stall — the word itself, not install —, P0017, P0011, P0024, P0016, P1326, misfire codes, the words recall, oil, metal or shavings, timing chain, knock, solenoid/OCV/VVT) are regular-expression matches, not readings, and are in p0014-153-complaints-flags.csv. A flag says a word appears, not that the owner's car had that fault.
   By maker group: Kia and Hyundai 85, GM 47, Ford 12, Nissan and Infiniti 3, Mercedes-Benz 2, one each Toyota, Mini, Land Rover and a van converter. By year received: 2015 1, 2016 6, 2017 3, 2018 6, 2019 25, 2020 9, 2021 10, 2022 13, 2023 14, 2024 16, 2025 20, 2026 (to 21 September) 30. 57 complaints give an odometer reading; the median is 100,000 miles (101,500 without three implausible readings of 5, 73 and 700,662).

2. Random 50, read and coded
   50 of the 153 drawn with Python random.sample, seed 20260926, and read in full by one reader. Each is coded to one category (p0014-random-50-read.csv): engine internal failure reported 19; timing chain or belt, or timing jumped 7; cam actuator, solenoid or VVT diagnosis or repair 7; oil level or consumption, no failure confirmed 5; auto stop/start stall 1; undiagnosed or other 11. Makes in the draw: Kia and Hyundai 25, GM 18, Ford 5, Mini 1, Land Rover 1. "Engine internal failure reported" means the owner describes a seized, knocking, holed or replaced engine, or a dealer finding of internal damage, including engines condemned while still running; it is the owner's account, not a verified teardown.

3. Owner-reported amounts
   Dollar figures in the 153 complaints, read in context; listed only where the amount could be tied to the repair, quote or fee described (p0014-owner-reported-amounts.csv). Figures for unrelated items (a transmission, a catalytic converter, a vehicle's purchase price, a down payment, towing, an extended warranty) were read and left out. Bills, quotes and estimates as owners reported them, not invoices. Engine lane: nine figures from eight complaints, $5,000 to $17,000, median $9,000 (one quote carried two figures, used and new engine; one figure is the owner's own estimate and one an unitemized repair bill).

4. Documents
   p0014-recalls-extensions-bulletins.csv. Each document marked "yes" was downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov and read in full on 25-26 September 2026. GM 17-NA-317 and 17-NA-338 have no published PDF; the PDF text of Ford TSB 21-2224 and SSM 49821 is unreadable. For those four only NHTSA's summary is used, and they are marked as such. A search of the recall file (2010 onward) for the string "P0014" in the defect, consequence, remedy or notes text returns no campaigns; the recalls listed were found through the complaints and the makers' documents.

Limits: complaints over-represent bad outcomes and cars that failed badly enough for an owner to write; many owners name several codes; one reader, one pass. Nothing here is a failure rate.